In a recent Ecosystem Aces podcast, Alan Chhabra, EVP of Worldwide Partners at MongoDB, joined Chip Rodgers, Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan, to discuss how MongoDB is driving AI adoption through strategic partnerships, the role of hyperscalers, and the importance of aligning partnerships with customer needs.
Alan, who has been with MongoDB for nine years, shared insights into MongoDB’s AI Applications Program (MAP), its deep collaborations with AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft, and why AI adoption is still in its early phases despite rapid innovation.
Key Takeaways from the Conversation
🔹 The Role of MongoDB in AI and the MAP Program
• MongoDB’s core mission is to empower developers, ensuring they have the right tools to build AI-driven applications.
• The MongoDB AI Applications Program (MAP) brings together hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), AI model providers (Anthropic, Cohere, Fireworks), and consultancies (Accenture, McKinsey, BCG) to help customers navigate AI adoption.
• AI adoption is not just a technology challenge—it requires process transformation, security compliance, and strategic consulting.
🔹 Customer-First Approach to Partnerships
• MongoDB’s partnerships are driven by customer demand, ensuring integrations and solutions align with real-world use cases.
• Developers and enterprises need AI-ready infrastructure—MongoDB enables them to manage operational, meta, and vector data required for AI models.
• Instead of chasing press releases, MongoDB focuses on partners that add true value to customers and increase solution stickiness.
🔹 AI Partnerships Are More Competitive Than Ever
• The AI landscape is highly competitive, with hyperscalers, ISVs, LLM providers, and enterprises all vying for dominance.
• Enterprise customers are still experimenting due to concerns over data security, sovereignty, and AI model performance.
• The real AI application explosion is still ahead, with legacy modernization and new AI-driven apps set to accelerate adoption.
🔹 Scaling with Cloud Marketplaces and Sales Alignment
• MongoDB’s tight integration with hyperscalers enables seamless procurement and deployment through AWS Marketplace, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
• Aligning partnerships with sales teams is crucial for customer acquisition, growth, and retention—ensuring partners drive tangible business outcomes.
• WorkSpan plays a key role in enabling deal registration and sales collaboration, reducing friction and accelerating partner-led co-selling.
Final Thoughts
MongoDB’s developer-first approach, deep partnerships, and AI-focused strategy position it as a leader in helping enterprises build the next generation of AI-powered applications. As AI adoption moves beyond experimentation into large-scale deployment, partnerships will be essential in guiding customers through this transformation.
📢 Watch the full episode to learn how MongoDB is driving AI adoption and transforming enterprise data strategy! #EcosystemAces #MongoDB #AI #GenAI #Partnerships #CloudComputing
Chip is passionate about building strong communities and ecosystems around enterprises to build excitement for the category, deliver value for customers, and grow the business. Prior to WorkSpan, Chip was with SAP for over 13 years, most recently growing the SAP Community Network to over 2 million engaged customers, partners, and developers. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and an engineering degree from Northwestern.
